Boltless cabinet assembly

ABSTRACT

A boltless panel assembly for use in constructing a boltless cabinet comprises a panel having exterior and interior faces and side edge portions. At least one slot engaging member is attached to and extends interiorly from each side edge portion of the panel for insertion into slots of boltless support post. A releasable retaining member prevents disengagement of the slot engaging member from a slot once it has been inserted into and seated in a slot of a boltless support post.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a boltless panel assembly mountable on a pairof boltless support posts and releasably secured thereto and moreparticularly to a cabinet constructed with one or more boltless panelassemblies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A variety of boltless storage racks have been designed to store tools,equipment, merchandise, and other items. Such boltless racks are popularfor their ease of assembly. Panels have been designed to be mounted onthe support posts of a boltless rack to create an enclosed cabinet.However, such cabinets are not typically of a boltless design thatprovide adequate security for the contents of the cabinet. It would bedesirable to have cabinets that had the ease of assembly of a boltlessdesign and the security provided by a conventional bolted cabinet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a boltless panel assembly mountable onboltless support posts for use in construction of a cabinet for garagestorage systems. The boltless panel assembly comprises at least onegenerally rectangular panel having top, bottom and side edge portionsand exterior and interior faces. At least one, and preferably at leasttwo (upper and lower) slot engaging member extends inwardly from eachside edge portion for insertion into and seating in a slot of a boltlesssupport post. Preferred engaging members include rivets and inwardlyextending lances or tabs for engaging corresponding slots in the supportposts.

In one exemplary embodiment, the panel is generally flat and the sideedge portions, casing at least one and preferably at least tworearwardly extending slot-engaging members.

In another preferred embodiment, the side edges of the panel bendrearwardly for wrapping around the corner of a corner post and casing atleast one and preferably at least two slot engaging members for engagingslots in a support post.

In another exemplary embodiment, the side edge portions of the panelbend rearwardly, then inwardly to form an inner lip portion whichcarries the slot engaging members.

In another exemplary embodiment, the side edge portions bend rearwardlyto form a generally flat side wall and at least one, and preferably atleast two L-shaped brackets are secured, e.g., by welding or the like,to the sidewall. The free legs of the brackets extend rearwardly andinwardly behind the panel and carry a slot-engaging member. In yetanother exemplary embodiment of the invention, the L-shaped bracket ishingedly attached to the side wall of the panel.

In an exemplary embodiment, each side panel assembly comprises framemembers along at least the panel side edges and preferably also alongthe top and bottom panel edges. In one embodiment, the frame membershave inwardly facing channels for receiving and capturing the edges of aflat, generally rectangular panel, made of wood, plastic, metal or anyother suitable material. In another embodiment, the panel is hingedlyattached to the frame so that the panel may swing open and will functionas a door. As desired the panel may be divided into two pieces toprovide two doors, e.g., in a side-by-side arrangement.

In an exemplary embodiment, the side members of the frame carry one ormore hinges. One leaf of each hinge is fixedly attached to the frame,e.g., by spot welding and a second leaf is generally L-Shaped andcarries one or more slot engaging members. Such an embodiment allows theframe and panel to swing from an open position for ease of assembly to aclosed position, mounted on boltless support posts, concealing the slotengaging members.

The panel assembly of the present invention further comprises at leastone releasable retaining member associated with at least one slotengaging member that extends inwardly from each side edge portion. Thereleasable retaining member prevents a slot engaging member that hasbeen inserted into and seated in a slot in a support post fromdisengaging from the slot. The releasable retaining member is preferablynot accessible from the exterior of the cabinet.

An exemplary releasable retaining member comprises a screw that extendsfrom inside the cabinet through a slot in the support post at a locationadjacent the top of a slot and is threaded into a hole in the panel,panel frame (if present) bracket (if present), or hinge (if present) ofthe panel assembly. Another exemplary releasable retaining member usefulwith rivet-style slot engaging members is a spring clip that can befitted between the head of the rivet and the inner surface of thesupport post. Another exemplary releasable retaining member useful witha tab or lance-type slot engaging member is a pin, clip or ring-typeretainer that can be passed through a hole in the lance or tab and issufficiently large to prevent passage of the lance out of the slot.

The present invention further comprises a front panel assemblycomprising at least one door panel, at least one hinge assembly along anouter peripheral portion of the door panel and at least one slotengaging member associated with the hinge assembly. In one exemplaryembodiment, the hinge assembly comprises a frame extending along atleast one of the top, bottom or side edge portions of the door panelwhich carries at least one and preferably at least a pair of slotengaging members.

In another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a generallyrectangular frame and the door panel or panels are hingedly mounted onthe frame. The side members of the frame comprise at least oneslot-engaging member and preferably at least upper and lower slotengaging members for engaging slots in support posts. The door panelassembly may comprise a single door panel that is hingedly connected tothe frame along its bottom edge portion, top edge portion or a side edgeportion. Alternatively, the front panel assembly may comprise a pair ofdoor panels that are hingedly attached along their side edge portions.

The front panel assembly also comprises at least one retaining memberfor prevention of disengagement of the slot engaging member(s) from asupport post once the front panel assembly has been mounted on thesupport posts.

The front panel assembly further comprises a closure mechanism to keepthe door panel(s) in a closed position. The closure mechanism maycomprise any suitable releasable latch mechanism, lock mechanism, clips,magnets or the like. Each door panel may, if desired, comprise a handlefor ease of opening and closing.

The boltless panel assembly according to the present invention isparticularly useful in the construction of a boltless cabinet system. Anexemplary boltless cabinet comprises four corner support postsboltlessly connected together by front, rear and side cross beams at twoor more elevations. At two elevations, the cross beams support shelfpanels which form the floor and ceiling of the cabinet. The ceilingshelf panel is preferably releasably fixed in place by brackets orscrews secured to the shelf and to a cross-beam or panel assembly bybrackets. The cabinet further comprises side, rear and front panelassemblies as described herein.

Boltless cabinets comprising at least one panel assembly according tothe present invention are particularly useful in the construction ofgarage storage systems. Such systems comprise at least one cabinetcomprising one or more panel assemblies, and at least one open storagerack shelves. In one exemplary embodiment the garage storage systemfurther comprises at least one work bench, at least one open storageshelf and at least one cabinet having at least one panel assembly, allsupported by boltless support posts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures attached hereto show the following:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1showing an open door panel.

FIG. 3 a is a perspective view of a boltless rack on which panelassemblies are mounted.

FIG. 3 b is a an enlarged, exploded perspective view of an exemplarymounting arrangement of the panel assemblies shown in FIG. 1 to boltlesssupport posts.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary cross beam.

FIG. 6 a-6 c are enlarged perspective views of another exemplaryboltless support post and cross-beam connection.

FIG. 7 is an interior view of another exemplary rivet and retaining cliparrangement.

FIG. 8 is a interior view of another exemplary lance and retaining ringarrangement.

FIG. 9 is another is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 10 is a is a perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9showing an open door panel.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another exemplary panel assembly.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the panel frame of the exemplarypanel assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an exemplary garage storage system.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another exemplary garage storagesystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary boltless cabinet 10 is shown in FIGS. 1-4. The cabinet 10comprises the upper portion of a boltless rack which acts as a supportframe 11 for the cabinet 10. In addition to the support frame 11, thecabinet 10 comprises shelf panels 12, and front, side and rear panelassemblies 13, 14 and 15 respectively. The support frame includes leftand right front support posts 17 and 18, and left and right rear supportposts 19 and 20. Front cross-beams 21 extend generally horizontally fromleft front support post 17 to the right front support post 18. Rearcross-beams 22 extend generally horizontally from the left rear supportpost 19 to the right rear support post 20 at about the same elevation asthe front cross-beams 21. Side cross beams 24 extend between the leftfront and rear support posts 17 and 19 and the right front and rearsupport posts 18 and 20, again at the same elevation as the front andrear cross-beams 21 and 22. The cross beams are configured to supportthe peripheral edges of shelf panels 12.

The cross-beams are vertically spaced according to the desired spacebetween the floor, any shelves within this cabinet and the ceiling ofthe cabinet. The dimensions of the cabinet as well as the number andspacing of the shelves are not critical and are a matter of choice.

With reference to FIG. 3b, the support posts include keyhole slots 30having a large, generally circular upper portion 32 and lower, narrowerslot portion 34. The keyhole slots 30 receive and seat rivets 36 at theends of cross-beams 20, 22, and 24 More specifically, the cross-beams21, 22, and 24 are anchored to the support posts 17-20 by passing theheads of the rivets 36 through the large upper portion 32 of keyholeslots 30 and lowering the cross-beam and rivets 36 until the shafts ofthe rivets 36 seat in the lower portions 34 of the keyhole slots 30.

The front, rear, and side cross-beams 21, 22, and 24 preferably have thesame construction. With reference to FIG. 5, the cross-beams of thisembodiment comprise a generally vertical outer wall 38, a generallyhorizontal top wall 40 extending inwardly from the top edge of the outerwall 38, an inner generally vertical wall 42 descending downwardly fromthe inner edge of the top wall and a generally horizontal shelf supportwall 44 extending inwardly from the bottom edge of the inner verticalwall. There is also a stabilizing lower wall 46 that extends inwardlyfrom the bottom edge of the outer wall. The outer wall 38 carries a pairof outwardly extending rivets 36 at each end. The rivets 36 arevertically spaced apart for insertion into and seating in an adjacentpair of slots 30 in the support posts.

Another preferred cross-beam construction is a Z-beam constructiondisclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 60826037, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The shelf panels 12 form the floor and ceiling of the cabinet. Forsecurity, the ceiling shelf panel may be fixed in place by brackets 28or the like, may be made of any suitable material, including wood,metal, e.g., sheet metal, plastic, wire, and the like. A preferredshelving material is particle board, particularly medium densityfiberboard (“MDF”).

It is understood that the size, shape and spacing of the slots and thesize, shapes and number of the slot engaging members may be varied asdesired. For example, FIGS. 6 a-6 c show another preferred slot engagingmember and slot arrangement. In this arrangement, the slots 50 arewedge-shaped and the slot engaging members are metal lances 52 formed inL-shaped brackets 54 at the end of each cross-beam.

It is understood that the cross-beams may comprise only a single slotengaging member at their ends. It is also understood that the front,rear and side cross-beams need not have the same cross-sectionalconfiguration. Further, the invention may be performed with only a pairof opposing cross-beams for supporting each shelf-panel.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, the cabinet 10 comprises a front doorpanel assembly 13, a pair of side panel assemblies 14, and a rear panelassembly and 15. Each of the side and rear panel assemblies comprises agenerally rectangular sheet metal panel 55 having a generally verticaland rectangular exterior face and an interior face, a top wall 60,bottom wall 62, and side walls 64 extending rearwardly along theperiphery of the exterior face 56, and generally normal to the exteriorface. A lip 60 extends inwardly from the inner edges of the top wall 60,bottom wall 62, and side walls 64.

The front panel assembly comprises a pair of door panels 79 having thesame design as the side and rear panels 55.

Upper and lower hinges 68 and 70 are fixedly attached, e.g., by welding,to the outer side walls 64 of the door panels 79 and to both side wallsof side and rear panels 55. As shown in FIG. 3b, the hinges 68 and 70comprise first and second leaves 71 and 72. The first leaf 71 is fixedto the side wall 64 of the panel so that the pivot pin 73 is adjacentthe outer edge of the side wall 64. The second leaf 72 is L-shaped andpivots from an open position as shown in FIG. 2 to a closed position,doubling back across the first leaf 71 and then extending behind the lip66 as shown in FIG. 1. The second leaf 72 carries a rivet 36 as shown inFIG. 3 b that can be inserted into and seated in a slot 30 in a supportpost.

Each hinge 68 and 70 further comprises a threaded screw hole 75 forreceiving a screw 76. The screw hole 75 is located such that when thepanel assembly is mounted on support posts with the rivets 36 seated inthe lower slot portions 34 of the keyhole slots 30, the screw hole 75will be just below the top of a slot 30.

The door panel assembly 13 is mounted on a pair of support posts byinserting the rivets 36 on the hinges 68 and 70 attached to the outerside wall 64 portion into keyhole slots 30 of the support posts and thenseating the rivets in the lower slot 34 portions of the keyhole slots30. Screws 76 are then threaded into the screw holes 75. The screws 76are not accessible from the exterior of the cabinet when the door panelis in its closed position. The screws 76 prevent the rivets 36 frommoving upwardly into the circular portions 32 of the keyhole slots 36where they may become disengaged.

The side and rear panel assemblies 14 and 15 are mounted in the same wayas the front door panel assembly 13 except the rivets carried by bothside walls must be seated into the slots. For at least one side of theside and rear panel assemblies, the retaining screws 76 must be threadedinto the screw holes 75 from the interior of the cabinet.

It is understood that any mechanism for mounting rivets on the panel maybe used. For example, rather than a hinge, an fixed L-shaped bracket maybe attached to the side wall 64 of the panel. If desired, a portion ofthe panel lip 66 could carry the rivets 36.

It is understood that any retainer retaining clip, pin, or otherretaining mechanism for preventing the slot-engaging members fromdisengaging the slots may be used. For example, the length of the shaftof the rivet 36 may be selected to provide a gap between the head of therivet and the inside face of the support post. In such an embodiment, aspring clip 37 that snaps around the shaft of the rivet 36 between thehead of the rivet and the inside face of the support post, e.g., supportpost 17, could releasably retain the rivet 36 in place as shown in FIG.7.

If a lance 52 is used as the slot engaging member, a small hole 51 couldbe provided in the lance 52 through which a retaining pin or ring 53could be inserted as shown in FIG. 8.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, the cabinet comprises a pair ofrear panel assemblies 15, each constructed and mounted on the supportposts in the same manner as the side panel assemblies 14. It isunderstood that a single large rear panel assembly could be used ratherthan two rear panels as shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the front door assembly comprises a latchingmechanism 81 for latching the door panels 79 in their closed position.It is understood that any latching mechanism 81 may be used, includinglatching mechanisms that lock or that incorporate locks. Door handles 83are also provided.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, there is shown a full length cabinet. As shown, thereare upper and lower front door panel assemblies 13 a and 13 b, eachcomprising right and left door panels, and upper and lower side panelassemblies 14 a and 14 b. the right upper and lower door panels areconnected by a door handle 83 and the left upper and lower door panelsare connected by another door handle 83. It is understood that a singledoor panel assembly 13 and side assemblies 14, having panels extendingthe full height of the frame could be used if desired.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGS. 11and 12, the panel assemblies comprise a generally rectangular frame 80including horizontal upper and lower frame members 82 and 84 andgenerally vertical side frame members 86. The frame members 82, 84 and86 comprise an outer wall 87, side wall 88 and inner wall 89, aninwardly facing channel for receiving the edge of a panel 91.

The panel 91 can be made of any suitable material, including wood,plastic, metal, or wire. Preferred panels are made of particle board,particularly MDF, and pegboard. Pegboard is particularly useful if thecabinet is located adjacent a work bench or the like because it allowsthe mounting of hooks and other pegboard accessories for holding toolsand the like.

Attached to the side wall 88 of each side frame member 86, are hinges92, which carry rivets 36 as disclosed above with respect to theembodiment. of FIG. 1. Rather than hinges 92, brackets could be used.Alternatively, rivets can be fixed directly to the inner wall 89 of theside frame member 86. The rivets are releasably retained in the slots bythe screw or screw hole arrangement described above by an suitableretaining mechanism.

The boltless panel assemblies of the present invention are particularlyuseful in the assembly of garage storage systems. FIG. 13 shows anexemplary garage storage system comparing a pair of boltless storageracks, the left storage rack 100 comprising three shelves and a cabinet101 having a front door panel assembly 102 constructed in accordancewith the present invention, and the right storage rack 103 comprisingthree shelves and a drawer mounted below the middle shelf. Between theleft and right storage racks is a boltless work bench 104 having a benchtop 105 supported by front and rear cross-beams which are, in turn,supported by boltless front and rear support posts 106 and 107. The rearsupport posts 107 extend above the bench top. A drawer is providedbeneath the bench top. A peg board panel 108 extends vertically at theback edge of the bench top 105. Extending between the left and rightrear support posts 107 are braces 109 to stabilize the work benchassembly. Storage bins 110, e.g., as described in U.S. application Ser.No. 11/369262, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, orother articles, e.g., hooks, shelf brackets and the like, may be hungfrom the brace.

FIG. 14 shows another exemplary garage storage system comprising asingle integral unit. The support posts are of the wedge-shaped slotdesign shown in FIGS. 6 a-6 c. The system comprises right and leftstorage racks 112 and 113 each with two shelves 114 and an upper cabinet115 The cabinets 115 are formed by side assemblies 116 comprising sheetmetal panels that wrap around the corners of the support posts 117 andcomprise lances that seat within the slots of the support posts.

The front door panel assemblies 118 of the cabinets 115 comprise agenerally rectangular frame 119 having top, bottom and side framemembers. The side frame walls carry lances that seat in the slots of thesupport posts. The lances of the side panel assembly 116 and the frontdoor assembly 118 are releasably retained in the slots by retainingscrews or other releasable retaining pins, clips or the like asdescribed above. The door panel assemblies 118 comprise a pair of doorpanels attached by hinges to the side members of the frame 119. A workbench top 120 extends between the right and left storage racks 112 and113 supported by front and rear cross-beams. One or more cross-beams orbraces 121 extend between the rear support posts above the bench top forstability and to support bins, hooks, shelves, etc.

While the invention has been described in terms of exemplaryembodiments, it is to be understood that the words which have been usedare words of description and not of limitation. As is understood bypersons of ordinary skill in the art, a variety of modifications can bemade without departing from the scope of the invention defined by thefollowing claims, which should be given their fullest, fair scope.

1. A boltless panel assembly comprising: a panel having exterior andinterior faces and side edge portions; at least one slot engaging memberattached to and extending interiorly from each side edge portion forinsertion into slots of boltless support posts; a releasable retainingmember for preventing disengagement of at least one slot engaging memberfrom a slot once the slot engaging member has been inserted into a slotof a boltless support post.
 2. A boltless panel assembly as recited inclaim 1 wherein the at least one slot engaging member comprises a rivet.3. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the at leastone slot engaging member comprises a metal lance.
 4. A boltless panelassembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the panel comprises at least onescrew hole at a location that, when the slot engaging members areinserted and seated in slots of a boltless support post, is adjacent theuppermost portion of a slot, and wherein the releasable retaining membercomprises a screw that can be threaded into the screw hole in the panelso that the screw extends into the uppermost portion of a slot.
 5. Aboltless panel assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein he releasableretaining member comprises a pin or clip for engaging the end of atleast one slot engaging member once the slot engaging member has beeninserted and seated in a slot of a boltless support post to preventdisengagement of the slot engaging member from the slot.
 6. A boltlesspanel assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the side edge portions ofthe panel are bent to form side walls and the panel assembly furthercomprises at least one bracket attached to each side wall, the slotengaging members being attached to the bracket.
 7. A boltless panelassembly as recited in claim 6 wherein the at least one bracket arehingedly attached to each side wall.
 8. A boltless panel assembly asrecited in claim 7, wherein the at least one bracket comprises a screwhole at a location that, when the slot engaging members are inserted andseated in slots of a boltless support post, is adjacent the uppermostportion of a slot, and wherein the releasable retaining member comprisesa screw that can be threaded into the screw hole in the bracket so thatat the screw extends into the uppermost portion of a slot.
 9. A boltlesspanel assembly as recited in claim 8, wherein the screws are notaccessible from the exterior of the panel assembly when the panelassembly is mounted on support posts.
 10. A boltless panel assemblycomprising: a panel having exterior and interior faces and side edgeportions; a side frame member along at least the side edges of thepanel, the side frame members comprising a channel for receiving theside edges of the panel; at least one slot engaging member attached toand extending interiorly from each side frame member for insertion intoslots of boltless support posts; a releasable retaining member forpreventing disengagement of at least one slot engaging member from aslot once the slot engaging member has been inserted into a slot of aboltless support post.
 11. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim10 wherein the at least one slot engaging member comprises a rivet. 12.A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the at leastone slot engaging member comprises a metal lance.
 13. A boltless panelassembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the side frame member comprisesat least one screw hole at a location that, when the slot engagingmembers are inserted and seated in slots of a boltless support post, isadjacent the uppermost portion of a slot, and wherein the releasableretaining member comprises a screw that can be threaded into the screwhole in the side frame member so that the screw extends into theuppermost portion of a slot.
 14. A boltless panel assembly as recited inclaim 1 wherein he releasable retaining member comprises a pin or clipfor engaging the end of at least one slot engaging member once the slotengaging member has been inserted and seated in a slot of a boltlesssupport post to prevent disengagement of the slot engaging member fromthe slot.
 15. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 10 furthercomprising at least one bracket attached to each side frame member, andwherein the slot engaging members is attached to the bracket.
 16. Aboltless panel assembly as recited in claim 15 wherein the at least onebracket is hingedly attached to a side wall.
 17. A boltless panelassembly as recited in claim 15 wherein at least one bracket comprisesat least one screw hole at a location that, when the slot engagingmembers are inserted and seated in slots of a boltless support post, isadjacent the uppermost portion of a slot, and wherein the releasableretaining member comprises a screw that can be threaded into the screwhole in the bracket member so that the screw extends into the uppermostportion of a slot.
 18. A boltless front panel assembly comprising: apair of door panels having exterior and interior faces and outer sideedge portions; at least one hinge attached to the outer side edgeportion of each door panel; at least one slot engaging member attachedto and extending interiorly from at least one hinge associated with eachdoor panel for insertion into and seating in slots of boltless supportposts such that, when inserted into and seated in slots of boltlesssupport posts, the door panels are afforded swinging movement between anopen position and a closed position; and a releasable retaining memberfor preventing disengagement of at least one slot engaging member from aslot once the slot engaging member has been inserted into a slot of aboltless support post.
 19. A boltless front panel assembly as recited inclaim 18 further comprising frame members extending along at least aportion of the side edges of the door panels, said side frame memberscarrying at least one slot engaging members and wherein the door panelsare hingedly attached to the side frame members.
 20. A boltless frontpanel assembly as recited in claim 18 wherein the side frame membercomprises at least one screw hole at a location that, when the slotengaging members are inserted and seated in slots of a boltless supportpost, is adjacent the uppermost portion of a slot, and wherein thereleasable retaining member comprises a screw that can be threaded intothe screw hole in the side frame member so that the screw extends intothe uppermost portion of a slot.
 21. A boltless front panel assembly asrecited in claim 20, wherein the screws are not accessible from theexterior of the front panel assembly when the front panel assembly ismounted on support posts and the door panels are in their closedpositions.
 22. A boltless panel assembly as recited in claim 18 whereinhe releasable retaining member comprises a pin or clip for engaging theend of at least one slot engaging member once the slot engaging memberhas been inserted and seated in a slot of a boltless support post toprevent disengagement of the slot engaging member from the slot.
 23. Aboltless front panel assembly comprising: a generally rectangular framecomprising a top frame member, bottom frame member and a pair of sideframe members; at least one slot engaging member attached to andextending interiorly from each side frame member for insertion intoslots of boltless support posts; at least one door panel hingedlymounted on a frame member; and a releasable retaining member forpreventing disengagement of at least one slot engaging member from aslot once the slot engaging member has been inserted into a slot of aboltless support post.
 24. A boltless cabinet comprising: a pair ofspaced-apart front boltless support posts; a pair of spaced-apart rearboltless support posts; a plurality of generally horizontal frontcross-beams extending between the front boltless support posts; aplurality of generally horizontal rear cross-beams extending between therear boltless support posts; a shelf panel supported by a front crossbeam at a first elevation and a rear cross beam at the same firstelevation as the front cross beam for forming the floor of the cabinet;a shelf panel supported by a front cross beam at a second elevationhigher than the first elevation and a rear cross beam at the same secondelevation as the front cross beam for forming the ceiling of thecabinet; and at least one panel assembly comprising: a panel havingexterior and interior faces and side edge portions; at least one slotengaging member attached to and extending interiorly from each side edgeportion for insertion into slots of boltless support posts; a releasableretaining member for preventing disengagement of at least one slotengaging member from a slot once the slot engaging member has beeninserted into a slot of a boltless support post.